It is well known that individuals with diabetes may monitor their blood glucose levels several times per day. This is typically accomplished by piercing the skin with a lancet, most commonly in the area of a finger or forearm, and then placing a blood droplet from the piercing on a test strip which is then placed in a blood glucose monitor to establish a reading.
Most patients find it undesirable to pierce their own skin with a piercing device, so automatic lancing devices have become the norm. Heretofore, such devices have been cumbersome and not efficient. Predominantly, such devices have been pen-shaped, which can be cumbersome and not easily manipulated.
Difficult manipulation is particularly problematic when the diabetic is a child, an elderly person, someone with a handicap, or one with limited dexterity. It would therefore be beneficial to provide a lancing device that has improved implementation characteristics. For example, a lancing device which is operable with one hand would be most beneficial. In the case of a diabetic child, the caretaker could use one hand to gently orient the child while the lancet was operated with the other. Additionally, the free hand could assist with the milking process if needed. Preferably, the initial operation could be conducted without visually observing the lancing device, thus leaving the caretaker's visual orientation available for overseeing the child. For the elderly, a less cumbersome and more user friendly device has obvious advantages, particularly if the person also has impaired visibility and/or dexterity. Even with fully able bodied persons, an ergonomically better and functionally easier device would be welcome. The lancing devices of the present invention provide such.